John Lanza grew up in Revere, Massachusetts. After graduating from Bates College in 1967, he was a banker in New York City for almost forty years, retiring from JPMorgan Chase in 2006. He has an MBA from Baruch College, and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on payments systems for over twenty-five years.

John has five grown children and five grandchildren. He lives with his wife, Diana, in Caldwell, New Jersey. He has always been involved in team sports as a player, coach, booster, writer and photographer. He was once a Red Sox prospect and later a Yankee bird dog scout, at which time his father accused him of treason.

John planned to write books when he retired, and logically assumed his first would be the evolving text for his courses on payments systems. However, upon his retirement, while taking care of his 92-year old father, he spent some time with his 90-year old uncle and learned of the story that became this book.

In September 2007, John visited Italy and thanked Amerigo Sarri and Riccardo Becattini and their families for helping his uncle, William Lanza, and another airman, Alfred Todd, to evade capture in Nazi-occupied Italy during World War II.